A Bettendorf sport complex developer is seeking to rezone land adjacent to the facility – and currently owned by the city – for commercial and multi-family residential uses.

Kevin Koellner, one of the developers of the sports complex, obtained approval to rezone the land from the city's planning and zoning commission at the group's Aug. 15 meeting. Commissioners apparently were unaware the city purchased the land in August 2017 from the developers for $600,000 (or $60,000 per acre).

Plans for two commercial buildings and a restaurant – part of the sports complex at Middle and Forest Grove Roads – are headed for Bettendorf City Council approval, but improvements to that key intersection have yet to be finalized by the city.

The Bettendorf sports complex under construction at I-80 and Middle Road was awarded up to $2.5 million in state sales tax rebates recently (10/11) based on the developer's estimate more than $66 million in sales will be generated over the next 10 years by the project.

Building permits issued for the Bettendorf sports complex at Middle and Forest Grove Road total $38 million, some $8 million less than the $45 million value specified in the agreement with BettPlex developer Douglas Kratz.

Meanwhile, the cost of city infrastructure – sewer lines, stormwater facilities and street improvements to serve the 79-acre complex – is expected to be well above the $3.87 million specified in the same development agreement.

The sports complex builder, Build To Suit of Bettendorf, obtained the building permit August 28. The permits listed the building cost of $28.6 million, electrical work $4.11 million, heating/air conditioning $1.85 million and plumbing costs of $950,000, for a total value of $35.5 million. Two months ago, the developer obtained a permit for the sports complex foundation for more than $2 million.

Bettendorf taxpayers will pay far more for streets, sewers and stormwater detention than the $3.87 million stipulated in the contract with the Bettendorf sports complex developer.

In private 3-on-3 meetings with aldermen July 5, city officials outlined a summary of estimated infrastructure costs for the sports complex showing construction bids received so far are $844,000 above the cap set in the development agreement between the city and developer Douglas Kratz.

After secret briefings given Bettendorf aldermen in mid January, the city added $11.2 million in bonds to its proposed budget to pay for roads, sewers, stormwater detention and developer loans and rebates for a sports complex at Forest Grove and Middle Road.

According to documents and emails obtained by Bettendorf.com through a Freedom of Information request, city officials in those non-public sessions discussed with aldermen the impact the sports complex would have on next year's capital improvement plan (CIP), city tax levy and debt margin.

The project was outlined a month later at a news conference Feb. 17 by Mayor Robert Gallagher and developer Douglas Kratz, but aldermen have yet to publicly discuss the sport complex plans or its financial impact on city finances at an open city council meeting.

Eight months after the Bettendorf sports complex opened for business, the city has yet to determine how much developers will contribute to the $760,000 cost overrun for streets, sewers and storm water detention for the facility.

Grain Processing Corporation (GPC) has been ordered to pay $50 million in damages to settle a class action lawsuit over air pollution from its Muscatine corn-milling plant that harmed thousands of nearby residents.

Iowa District Court Judge John Telleen gave preliminary approval of the... more